Nothing screams “Pride” like celebrating how LGBTQ people, especially LGBTQ people of color, shaped and influenced popular culture, music, art, and literature, and continue to do so today.
On that note, today’s bi woman is none other than the rock and roll icon, Sister Rosetta Tharpe (1915-1973). A Black bisexual woman born, she was one of the first acclaimed female guitarists, in a musical world that is still so often dominated by (white) men. Her musical style was an important precursor to modern American rock and roll, so much so that she influenced famous musicians such as Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry, and Jerry Lee Lewis, rightfully earning her the nickname “The Godmother of Rock”. In addition to being a rock guitarist, she was also a gospel and R&B musician.
She was also not completely shy about her bisexuality. Though music has often been a refuge for LGBTQ artists, even prior to Stonewall, it was still a difficult time for any queer artist or musician to be relatively public about their sexuality, especially for queer women and people of color. She did not publicize her relationships with various women (many of whom were fellow female musicians), but she also did not hesitate to cross the boundaries of conservative Christian music at the time either.
In 2004, the Library of Congress selected her 1944 song “Down by the Riverside” for its registry. And finally, one hundred years after her birth, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted her on December 13th, 2017, solidifying her legacy for generations to come.
You can watch the documentary, “The Godmother of Rock & Roll Sister Rosetta Tharpe” (2014, director Mick Csaky” to learn more about her.
So if you’re a bisexual woman out there who’s struggling to make it in the world of music, know that you’re one hundred years before you, Sister Rosetta Tharpe paved the way for other people of color, women, and LGBTQ people to successfully carve their name into the musical halls of glory.
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